E.060 Down to Barcelona 1992

• I. 1st state of 3

  Etching. A view downhill along a winding road, with houses hidden among vegetation at the centre left. In the right foreground is a high, curving stone wall with three bare trees in front of it, as well as a tall tripod structure. In the lower left corner is a figure walking downhill. The subject is complete in all its essential details and is rendered in pure etching. There are four variant impressions of this state.

  1. Impression on wove Hahnemühle paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’. A segment towards the top of the tripod structure has failed to print clearly.
  2. Slightly darker impression on wove Hahnemühle paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’. The tripod structure is now fully printed. Although inscribed ‘2’, this is an impression of the first state.
  3. Impression with plate tone, on wove Hahnemühle paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘3 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’. Although inscribed ‘3’, this is an impression of the first state.
  4. Cleanly wiped impression on wove Hahnemühle paper with watermark (word), printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘4 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’. Although inscribed ‘4’, this is an impression of the first state.

• I.a. 1st state of 3

  

  Etching. A view downhill along a winding road, with houses hidden among vegetation at the centre left. In the right foreground is a high, curving stone wall with three bare trees in front of it, as well as a tall tripod structure. In the lower left corner is a figure walking downhill. The subject is complete in all its essential details and is rendered in pure etching. There are four variant impressions of this state.

• II. 2nd state of 3

  The plate has been re-etched. Hatching has been added to the three bare trees and to the bushes in the middle distance, near the curved wall. There are three variant impressions of this state.

  1. Cleanly wiped but rich impression on wove Hahnemühle paper with watermark (cockerel), printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘5 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’. Although inscribed ‘5’, this is an impression of the second state.
  2. Impression with light plate tone, on wove Hahnemühle paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘6 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’. Although inscribed ‘6’, this is an impression of the second state.
  3. Impression on wove Hahnemühle paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘7 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’. Although inscribed ‘7’, this is an impression of the second state.

• III. 3rd and final state

  Drypoint has been added across large areas of the plate. There are four variant impressions of this state.

  1. Impression with burr so rich it clogs the image in places, on wove Hahnemühle paper with watermark (cockerel), printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP I’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.
  2. Impression with rich burr, on wove Hahnemühle paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP II’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’. (Featured Image)
  3. More cleanly wiped impression on wove Hahnemühle paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP III’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.
  4. Selectively wiped impression with plate tone, on wove Hahnemühle paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP IV’; lower centre: ‘Down to Barcelona’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’92’.

• III.b. Artist’s proof of 3rd and final state (Featured Image)

  

  Drypoint has been added across large areas of the plate. There are four variant impressions of this state.

• No edition

• Comment

  This etching is the last of four intaglio prints that Amor made following his Visual Arts/Craft Board (Australia Council) residency in Barcelona (June–September 1991). E.060 is based closely on a pencil sketch, done on the spot and dated 24 August 1991; however, a figure (representing Meg Williams, Amor’s partner) has been added in the etching, and its orientation is the reverse of that in the drawing.

  Although he decided not to edition E.060, in 1992 Amor began painting an oil of the etching’s subject, but in reverse orientation, following that of the 1991 drawing. He continued to work intermittently on the painting until 2006.

  For Amor’s other intaglio prints depicting Barcelona subjects, see cat. nos E.050, E.051 and E.052.